World War I On 1 October 1910 the XI Bersaglieri Cyclists Battalion was formed in
Naples by the
11th Bersaglieri Regiment. During
World War I the battalion fought separate from the regiment on the
Italian front. In May 1915 the battalion advanced to
Gradisca and in June to
Lucinico. On 19 July of the same year the battalion deployed on
Monte San Michele for the
Second Battle of the Isonzo. The next day, on 20 July 1915, the battalion attacked and conquered the summit of the Monte San Michele. On 21 July
Austro-Hungarian troops counterattacked and drove the battalion off the summit. Having lost 13 officers and 183 troops the battalion was taken out of the front. For the conquest of the summit the battalion was awarded its first
Silver Medal of Military Valor. In spring 1916 the battalion held the front at
Vermegliano and the nearby
Cave di Selz. On 6 August 1916, the day the
Sixth Battle of the Isonzo began, the battalion, together with the
III Bersaglieri Cyclists Battalion and
IV Bersaglieri Cyclists Battalion, stormed Height 85 near
Monfalcone and held the summit until 10 August. As the battalion had lost 14 officers and 319 troops it had to be pulled out of the line. For the conquest of Height 85 the IV and XI Bersaglieri cyclists battalions were both awarded a
Silver Medal of Military Valor. During the
1975 army reform the army disbanded the regimental level and newly independent battalions were granted for the first time their own flags. On 15 July 1976 the 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi" became the last infantry regiment to disband and the next day the XI Bersaglieri Battalion became an autonomous unit and was renamed 11th Bersaglieri Battalion "Caprera". The battalion was named for the island of
Caprera, where the regiment's namesake
Giuseppe Garibaldi had spent the last years of his life. The flag, motto and traditions of the 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi" were assigned to the 11th Bersaglieri Battalion "Caprera", while the name of the regiment was transferred to the
8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi". With the flag the battalion also took temporarily possession of the
Gold Medal of Military Valor, which had been awarded to the 182nd Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi" for the conduct and sacrifice of the infantry units of the
Division "Garibaldi" in Yugoslavia between September 1943 and April 1945. The gold medal was also added to the coat of arms that was issued to the 11th Bersaglieri Battalion "Caprera". With the traditions the battalion also inherited the regiment's right to wear a red tie with the formal uniform. As part of the reform the battalion moved from
Sacile to
Orcenico Superiore and joined the
8th Mechanized Brigade "Garibaldi". On 12 November 1976 the
President of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone assigned with decree 846 the flag and traditions of the 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi" and the traditions of the XI Bersaglieri Cyclists Battalion to the battalion. For its conduct and work after the
1976 Friuli earthquake the battalion was awarded a Bronze Medal of Army Valor, which was affixed to the battalion's flag and is depicted on the battalion's coat of arms. On 30 September 1992 the
11th Bersaglieri Regiment was reformed in
Aviano. The regiment's sole battalion was the 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano", which had been in possession of the flag of the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment since the 1975 army reform. On 18 April 1997 the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment's 27th Bersaglieri Battalion "Jamiano" was renamed 11th Bersaglieri Battalion "Caprera", thus reuniting the battalion with its regiment. Consequently, the battalion's three Silver Medals of Military Valor and its Bronze Medal of Army Valor were transferred from the flag of the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment to the flag of the 11th Bersaglieri Regiment, and the coats of arms of both regiments were updated. With the return of the 11th Bersaglieri Battalion to the regiment, the tradition of the 182nd Armored Infantry Regiment "Garibaldi" to wear a red tie with the formal uniform passed to 11th Bersaglieri Regiment. == See also ==